Protecting The Colton Bride

by Elle James

  They loaded her onto a waiting stretcher and hurried away from the craft. Daniel insisted on going with them. Since he wasn’t injured, he was forced to remain behind to answer questions from airport officials.

  “Daniel,” a voice called out in the confusion.

  He turned to face his half brother Ryan wearing his Tulsa PD uniform. “Oh, thank God you’re here. Help me get out of here and find Megan.”

  “I heard over the scanner your plane had crashed and one passenger was taken to the hospital.” Ryan asked, “Was Megan injured?”

  “Not in the landing. She got sick on the flight over from California. She said she could make it to Tulsa.” Daniel shook his head. “I should have insisted on stopping. By the time we were in range of the airport, she’d passed out.”

  “From what?”

  “I don’t know.” The longer he was away from her, the more worried he became. “I need to go to the hospital.”

  “Come on. I’ll get you through.”

  Ryan found the airport security guard in charge and cleared Daniel to leave. He led him toward the exit, where his patrol car waited at the curb.

  “Sorry, but you’ll have to sit in the back. With all the computer equipment we have now, there’s no room for a passenger.”

  “I don’t care as long as we get to Megan.”

  Ryan opened the door for Daniel and closed it once he got in. Then he slid behind the steering wheel and switched on the siren and lights. He radioed to dispatch to find the hospital where Megan was taken. With the correct location, he sped across town.

  In minutes they were pulling into the emergency entrance of the hospital.

  Ryan had to open the door for Daniel. Once he did, Daniel erupted from the backseat of the vehicle and raced inside, Ryan on his heels.

  “Where did they take Megan?” he demanded of the receptionist.

  “Megan who?” She stared down at the computer screen in front of her, her fingers poised over the keyboard.

  “Megan Talbot,” Ryan responded.

  “Are you a relation to the patient?” the young woman asked.

  “No, she works for our family,” Ryan responded.

  Daniel touched his brother’s arm. “She’s more than that,” he said. “Megan’s my wife. We were married three days ago in Vegas.”

  Chapter 14

  Daniel paced in the emergency room lobby, waiting for a doctor, anyone, to come out and tell him what was going on with Megan. So far, even after telling them that he was her husband, they wouldn’t let him into the room with her.

  Ryan stood by, shaking his head. “Married? Why didn’t you tell any of us that you were headed to Vegas to get married?”

  Daniel shrugged and passed Ryan on another lap across the lobby. “We didn’t want a lot of fanfare. We had a simple wedding, just the two of us.” And Elvis.

  Ryan grinned as he keyed a text message into his smartphone. “Wait until the others hear about this. Prepare yourself for some heavy ribbing from the family.”

  Daniel stopped in front of Ryan, his hands clenched in tight fists. “I don’t care what the family does as long as Megan is okay.”

  Finally a nurse emerged from a door marked Authorized Personnel Only. “Officer Colton,” she called out.

  Daniel hurried toward her. “How’s Megan? Is she going to be all right? May I see her?”

  “I’m sorry.” She looked around Daniel to Ryan. “I need to talk to Officer Colton.”

  Anger erupted like a volcano. “I’m her husband. I have the right to see her.” He pulled his wallet from his pocket and yanked the marriage certificate from it, whipping it open. “See? She’s my wife. We’re married. Let me see her.”

  “The doctor will be out shortly.” The nurse snagged Ryan’s arm and led him through the doorway. The door shut behind him.

  “What the hell is going on?” Daniel asked the empty air.

  “Sir, please, take a seat,” the receptionist pleaded. “You’re scaring the others.”

  Daniel didn’t give a damn about the other people waiting in the lobby. He wanted to see Megan. Then a thought hit him and his heart seized. The only reason he could think of for them to refuse to let him see her yet was that she hadn’t made it. A solid block of lead settled in the pit of his stomach, and, for a moment, his heart quit beating.

  He took two steps toward the door to the restricted area and raised his fist to bang and demand to see Megan.

  Before his knuckles hit the door, it swung open and Ryan stepped out, his face grim. “Daniel, come with me.” He grabbed Daniel’s arm and turned him toward the exit.

  Daniel shook off his hand and spun away. “I’m not going anywhere until I know how Megan is doing.”

  “They are treating her now and expect her to come through okay.”

  “Then why won’t they let me in to see her?”

  “If you’ll come with me outside, I’ll explain.”

  “I’m not going anywhere.”

  Ryan’s jaw tightened. “Very well, I’ll spell it out here in front of everyone.”

  “Shoot.”

  He glanced at the faces of the people waiting to see the on-call doctors. “Preliminary blood tests indicate that Megan had arsenic in her system.”

  His chest squeezed so tight he could barely breathe. “Oh, God. How?”

  “They don’t know. There will be questions, like what you had to eat for the last couple of days and where. They might want to do a blood test on you to see if you’ve been poisoned, as well.”

  Daniel shoved a hand through his hair. “Anything. Just let me see her.”

  “The doctor is monitoring her progress with the antidote. They’ll let you see her in a few minutes.”

  “Daniel Colton,” a doctor in a white smock called out.

  Daniel pushed past Ryan. “I’m Daniel.”

  “I’m Dr. Baxter.” He held out his hand and smiled. “Your wife has been asking for you.”

  Daniel reached for the man’s hand and gripped it. “Where is she?” He looked over the doctor’s shoulder as if he could see through the door to where they were keeping Megan. “When can I see her?”

  The doctor’s smile faded. “She’s been moved to a room in the hospital for the night.”

  “How is she?”

  “She’s going to be okay,” the doctor said, pulling his hand free. “She’ll need a few days of rest and plenty of clear liquid. Fortunately, you got her here in time, and the medicine is doing its job.”

  “How could she have been poisoned?”

  The doctor nodded toward Ryan. “The police will have to conduct an investigation. The amount of arsenic in her system was enough to raise red flags.”

  “I can’t imagine where she’d have gotten it. I’ve been with her for the past two days and eaten what she’s eaten. Wouldn’t I be sick, as well?”

  “Normally, if the poisoning was accidental or the food was tainted. The amount of arsenic in her system was more than what we consider accidental.”

  “Holy hell.” Daniel frowned. “Who would possibly want to poison her?”

  The doctor shrugged. “That’s for the police to determine. You’ll need to list all the places you ate, the people you were with and what you ate to help trace back to the source.”

  “Sure. But may I see my wife now?”

  “Of course.” The doctor waved toward a nurse standing nearby. “The nurse will take you back for a blood test and then let you know Megan’s room number and floor.”

  Daniel shook the doctor’s hand. “Thank you for helping Megan.”

  “I understand you two were recently married.” The doctor chuckled. “It’s not the ideal way to spend your honeymoon. She’ll need some extra tender loving care.”

  “She�
�ll get it. I’ll make sure.” Daniel went with the nurse into a side room, where she drew a blood sample. She gave Daniel Megan’s room number and pointed to the elevator.

  Ryan stepped in with him. “Who would want to hurt Megan?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “When you were talking to the airport personnel, you said you’d flown in from California, but you were married in Vegas.”

  “We got married in Vegas and went to California to inform Megan’s parents. We stayed one night at her folks’ ranch.”

  “How is her relationship with her parents?”

  “From what I saw, her parents love her. They’d never hurt her.”

  “I’ve seen instances where parents loved their children so much, they’d hurt them to keep them dependent on them.”

  Daniel shook his head. “Megan is their only child. They tried really hard to have that one child. I can’t imagine them poisoning her to keep her close. If we had not gotten her to the hospital when we did, she might have died. They wouldn’t risk it.”

  The elevator door opened, and the two Coltons stepped out.

  Daniel found the room and knocked gently.

  A weak voice answered, “Come in.”

  His heart hammering against his ribs, Daniel pushed the door open and stepped into a dimly lit room. The curtain was open to the outside, but the sun had slipped below the horizon, casting the room in a dull, dusky light.

  Megan lay against crisp white sheets, her face almost as pale as the sheets. “Hey,” she said, a smile curling the corners of her lips. “You can turn on a light. It’s one of the buttons on this.” She handed him the remote control for the bed.

  Her hand felt cold to his touch as he took the remote, found a button with a lightbulb on it and clicked it.

  The reading light over the bed snapped on, casting a glow over her bright strawberry blond hair.

  She raised her hand to her head. “I must be a mess.”

  He laid the remote on the bed beside her and took her hand in his.

  Her freckles stood out against her pale skin, but her green eyes shone, and her bright hair fanned out against the pillow.

  “You’re beautiful.”

  She chuckled. “Liar.”

  “Ryan’s here.”

  She tipped her head to look around Daniel. “Oh, hey. I’m sorry to cause so much trouble.”

  “Don’t be sorry. You didn’t cause it,” Ryan said.

  Megan frowned. “The doctor said I got a hold of arsenic.” Her pretty brow furrowed. “How could that be?”

  “We don’t know. But we need to find out.”

  She pinched the bridge of her nose. “Did I eat something I shouldn’t have?”

  Daniel shook his head. “The doctor seemed to think it was more than just tainted food.”

  Her frown deepened. “He thinks I was poisoned?”

  Ryan came to stand beside Daniel. “That’s what it looks like.”

  Her eyes widened and she stared up at Daniel, her hand tightening around his. “Are you okay?”

  His chest swelled. It was just like Megan to be more worried about others when she was the one who’d nearly died. “I’m fine. But you have to take it easy for the next couple of days.”

  A knock sounded on the door.

  As Daniel turned, the door opened and Jack’s shaggy, dark head stuck around the side, his green eyes shadowed with concern. “Is our best ranch assistant up for visitors?”

  Ryan touched Daniel’s arm. “I let the family know about your plane wreck and Megan being taken to the hospital.”

  “Anything else?” Daniel asked.

  His half brother’s lips twisted. “I might have mentioned that you two got hitched.”

  Daniel had forgotten to worry over what the Colton clan would think of his marriage to Megan. Well, he was about to find out.

  “So, may we come in?” Jack asked again.

  Daniel glanced back at Megan, and she gave a weak smile. “Sure.”

  “Not for long,” Daniel said. “Megan needs rest.”

  “We won’t stay long.” Jack entered with his wife, Tracy. He crossed to Daniel and enveloped him in a bear hug. “I don’t know whether to congratulate you or give my condolences, brother. Married, plane wrecked and a sick wife. What a combination.”

  Tracy smiled softly as she pecked Daniel on the cheek and then Megan. “I’m so happy for you both, and I hope you get well soon. However, I have to warn you to be prepared for a Colton gathering. There are more of us waiting outside the door.”

  Daniel held Megan’s hand and stood by her side, bracing himself for the Colton inquisition.

  Brett appeared in the doorway after Jack and Tracy moved aside. “Hannah would have come, but her ankles were swollen from being on her feet all day. She sends her love and congrats to the newlyweds.” He made his way to Daniel, wrapped his arms around him and pounded him on the back. “You dog! When did you two make the decision to elope? None of us saw it coming.”

  Daniel was spared from responding when his half brother Eric Colton’s broad shoulders filled the doorway. “Daniel, Megan. Sorry, I’m late. I was in surgery and just got the word you were here.” He pulled a surgical cap from his head, his buzzed hair shining from perspiration.

  “It’s okay. Megan is doing much better,” Daniel said.

  “Good.” He shone a penlight into Megan’s eyes, then touched his stethoscope to her chest, listened and finally nodded. “You have a good doctor. He was quick to pick up on the symptoms even before the blood test results came back.”

  “Thank God,” Tracy said. “We need more women in the Colton family.”

  “That’s right.” Eric stared from Daniel to Megan. “So, you two skipped off to Vegas without letting us all in on the plan?”

  “I didn’t know I had to get everyone’s approval,” Daniel countered.

  “No, you don’t,” Ryan said.

  “No,” Brett said. “But you have to give us a chance to throw you one helluva bachelor party. Don’t think that just because you jumped the gun and eloped, you’re cheating us out of a chance to roast you.”

  “Too late. We’re already married. No fanfare required.” Daniel held up Megan’s hand, displaying the ring. “It’s done.”

  Tracy pushed past the men to ogle the ring. “Oh, Megan, how pretty.”

  Megan’s cheeks reddened. “Thank you. It belonged to Daniel’s grandmother.”

  “Then it’s extra special.” Tracy patted Daniel’s arm. “Daniel did good.”

  “Yes, he did.” Megan smiled up at Daniel, the dark smudges beneath her eyes making his heart hurt. The plane crash and the poison had almost killed her. He could have lost her twice in one day. “We need to let Megan sleep. She’s been through a lot today.”

  “From what the news reported, it’s probably a good thing I passed out during the landing.” Megan frowned up at Daniel. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I only now got them to let me in to see you.”

  Ryan chuckled. “Yeah, and he was ready to break down the doors if they didn’t let him in. I’m glad you’re doing better, Megan.”

  “Thanks, Ryan.” She coughed and closed her eyes.

  “That’s it. Everyone out,” Daniel ordered.

  A disturbance at the door heralded the arrival of yet another Colton.

  Daniel’s father, Big J Colton, his shock of thick white hair standing on end, filled their doorway. “Daniel, what’s this I hear about a crash and your assistant taking ill?”

  Ryan gave their father the digest version, sparing Daniel the trouble. He ended by saying, “And before all that, the two of them managed to get married in Vegas.”

  “What?” Big J thundered. “Why wasn’t I informed?”

 
Daniel touched his father’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, but we made the decision and moved on it.”

  “Well, then, I guess there’s only one thing I can do,” Big J blustered, his frown fierce.

  Daniel had seen his father furious, but never for something like one of his sons marrying without his permission. He braced himself, hating to disappoint the man who’d taken him in when his mother had passed.

  “What’s that, Dad?” Jack asked.

  His father’s frown disappeared, to be replaced by a big grin. “The only thing a father can do when his son gets married. That’s to kiss the bride.” He leaned over Megan and kissed her with a loud smack on the cheek. “Welcome to the family, Megan.” He turned to Daniel. “Glad you found a good woman. May your lives be filled with love and children.”

  Daniel’s gut clenched. His family had gathered around to wish him well on his marriage, and it was nothing but a big fat lie. What would his father think when they dissolved their vows? He’d be disappointed that Daniel hadn’t tried hard enough to keep it together. Daniel couldn’t tell his family that it was a farce. Megan’s grandmother’s trust fund depended on the marriage being legal and valid. And he needed it to make his own deal with the Kennedys.

  “As a doctor,” Eric spoke up, “I’d say Megan needs rest to recover from her ordeal.”

  “That’s right. We need to get out of here and give the newlyweds a little space.” Brett bumped Daniel’s shoulder. “You’re still on the hook for a bachelor party.”

  “Really, it’s not necessary,” Daniel assured him.

  “The hell it isn’t,” Jack stated. “We’ll skip the strippers, but there will be beer and football.”

  Daniel smiled halfheartedly. “Fine. Beer and football. After Megan’s well and we’ve had a chance to figure out what’s going on.”

  “What do you mean?” Big J’s smile disappeared.

  Daniel regretted opening his mouth. Now he had to explain to the family about Megan’s poisoning.

  “That’s awful!” Tracy pressed a hand to her breast. “Who would want to hurt Megan? She’s one of the nicest people I know.”

  “Exactly.”

  Big J’s frown deepened. “If someone is targeting her, she’s obviously not safe right now.” He faced Daniel. “You two will move to the main house until we figure this out.”